Big Issue Invest has revealed it has transformed the lives of over 5,000 young people through its £1.25m funding of the Chances Social Partnership. In 2020, the social investment arm of the Big Issue dedicated the sum to Chances, and its social outcomes programme has now engaged with 5,500 people aged 8 to 17 from deprived backgrounds. The work was…
Microsoft Signs Deal to Remove 2.6 Million Tons of Carbon Through Sustainable Agriculture
Agriculture-focused carbon removal solutions provider Agoro Carbon announced that it has signed a 12-year offtake agreement with Microsoft, providing the tech giant with 2.6 million carbon credits from its U.S.-based projects, marking one of the largest soil-based carbon removal commitments to date. Launched in 2021 by Norway-based crop nutrition company Yara, Agoro Carbon partners with farmers and ranchers to sequester…
Aedifion Raises $20 Million to Scale Real Estate Decarbonization Platform
Germany-based property technology provider aedifion announced that it has raised €17 million ($USD19.7 million) in a Series B financing round, with proceeds aimed at expanding its solutions to cut real estate CO2 emissions and energy costs. Founded in 2017, Cologne-based aedifion provides software solutions for optimizing building performance. The company’s AI-powered cloud platform helps real estate owners and operators to…
Virgin’s Net Zero Goals Approved by SBTi
UK-based conglomerate Virgin announced that its climate targets, including its goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) across the value chain by 2050, have been approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). Among the goals approved by the SBTi is a commitment by the company to ensure that 68% of its companies by emissions will have science-based targets…
New York to Build New Nuclear Plant to Support Clean Energy Goals
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she has directed the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to develop and construct a zero-emission advanced nuclear power plant in Upstate New York, with capacity to produce at least one gigawatt of electricity. According to a statement released by the Governor’s office, the new initiative will contribute to the goal “to achieve a…
Greenbelt Capital Raises $1 Billion for Energy Transition Fund
US-based private equity firm Greenbelt Capital Partners announced the final close of its inaugural fund, Greenbelt Capital Partners III (Fund III), at its hard cap of $1 billion. The firm said that its fund reached its hard cap, and surpassed its initial target of $750 million. The successful raise marks a significant milestone for the firm, which was founded in…
EU Member States Agree on Bigger Cuts to Sustainability Reporting, Due Diligence Than Omnibus Proposal
The European Council announced an agreement by EU member states on the Council’s negotiating position on the Omnibus proposal to simplify and reduce sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements for companies. The Council’s agreed position targets more significant cuts to the EU’s sustainability-focused regulation than the Commission’s initial proposals, particularly for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) – which requires companies…